Why North must support Tinubu’s reelection bid – Shekarau, Geidam, Lalong, others

From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja and Noah Ebije, Kaduna

Prominent northern political leaders have stepped up mobilisation for the reelection of President Bola Tinubu in 2027, rallying political stakeholders, students and youths around what they describe as the administration’s record in education, security, infrastructure, agriculture, rural electrification and human capital development.

The emerging campaign is being spearheaded by former Kano State governor and ex-Minister of Education, Ibrahim Shekarau; former Yobe governor, Ibrahim Geidam; and former Plateau governor, Simon Lalong, under the auspices of Arewa for Asiwaju (A4A), a political movement being positioned as an organised northern vanguard for Tinubu’s second-term bid.

The development comes as Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, inaugurated the Kano North Senatorial District Campaign Council, charging it to mobilise voters across the district’s 13 local government areas for Tinubu and all APC candidates in the 2027 elections.

A4A is expected to be formally unveiled in Abuja in the coming days, with an elaborate national, zonal and state structure spanning the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

A statement by the Head of Media Relations of A4A, Edwin Olofu, said the movement would be led by a 14-member Board of Trustees (BoT), bringing together former governors, serving and former senators and other political figures with grassroots networks across the North-West, North-East and North-Central.

Shekarau will chair the BoT, with Geidam and Lalong as deputies. Other members include Ibrahim Kabir Masari, Joshua Dariye, Buba Marwa, Aliyu Wamakko, Isa Yuguda, Jolly Nyame, Atiku Bagudu, Yahaya Bello, Aishatu Dukku and Binta Ibrahim.

Mohammed Badaru Abubakar will serve as secretary of the board, assisted by Abubakar Gambo.

Badaru will also head the National Directorate as Director-General, with responsibility for overall campaign strategy, coordination of the 19 states and FCT chapters and supervision of the various directorates at the national headquarters.

He would be supported by Ibrahim Shema as Deputy National Coordinator for the North-West, Yahaya Bello for the North-Central and Abdulrazaq Namdas for the North-East.

The coalition’s emergence is being reinforced by other pro-Tinubu mobilisation efforts across the region, particularly among students and youths, with supporters arguing that the North has benefited substantially from some of the administration’s flagship programmes.

Student leaders from tertiary institutions across the 19 northern states and FCT have already endorsed Tinubu for reelection under the Students’ Wing of A4A, pledging to take the campaign to campuses and communities across the region.

At the inauguration of the students’ wing, Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, anchored the case for continued northern support on the administration’s interventions in education, skills acquisition and youth empowerment.

Sani particularly cited the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), saying available programme data indicated that the North accounted for more than 60 per cent of beneficiaries under key interventions.

“Through TVET and NELFUND, the President has done a lot for the North. Available programme data indicate that Northern Nigeria accounts for over 60 per cent of beneficiaries under key interventions. That is measurable impact.”

He urged campaigners to make the case for Tinubu on the basis of the administration’s record rather than resorting to attacks on opponents.

“Do not campaign with insults; campaign with evidence. Do not answer criticism with abuse; answer it with facts,” Sani said.

Badaru similarly said the coalition would ask northerners to judge the administration on what it had delivered rather than fresh promises.

“We are not here to ask for your support on the strength of promises. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has already delivered, and the record speaks for itself,” he said, listing NELFUND, TETFund projects and the Energizing Education Programme among interventions benefiting northern students and institutions.

The political mobilisation is also gathering momentum outside A4A.

The Arewa Youth Assembly for Good Leadership (AYAGL) has declared support for Tinubu’s second-term bid, citing interventions in security, military welfare, pensions, rural electrification and grassroots economic development as reasons the North should support his reelection.

The youth group particularly pointed to intensified military operations against terrorists, bandits and insurgents, improved welfare for military personnel and stronger intelligence coordination as developments it believes have benefited the region. It also identified rural electrification as another plank of its support, arguing that the expansion of solar mini-grids and other off-grid projects was supporting small businesses, agriculture, cold-chain infrastructure and employment in rural communities.

AYAGL consequently urged northern political actors pursuing alternative presidential ambitions to reconsider their positions, insisting that young people in the region should not be drawn into sectional political battles.

“Northern youths will not lend their strength to political speculation or fragmentation,” the group declared.

In Kano, Barau also pushed the unity message while inaugurating the Kano North campaign council, urging APC members who lost out in the party’s primaries to put their differences behind them and work for the candidates who emerged.

“This is an all-inclusive arrangement. Everybody is involved, and all stakeholders are part and parcel of this council,” he said.

The council, chaired by Rabiu Suleiman Bichi, is expected to coordinate grassroots mobilisation across Kano North and campaign for APC candidates from the presidential election to the State House of Assembly.

Meanwhile, A4A has named Bala Wunti as Director of Finance and Resource Mobilisation; Tijjani Yahaya Kaura, Operations and Logistics; Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, Communications and Media Strategy; Ismail Ahmed, Mobilisation; and Abba Aliyu, Youth Affairs.

Suleiman Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila will oversee Parliamentary Mobilisation, Bashir Dabo will head Research and Strategy, Khalil Suleiman Halilu will take charge of ICT and Situation Room, while Ali Nuhu will head the Creative and Entertainment Industry Directorate.

Olofu said the formal unveiling of the coalition in Abuja would be followed by zonal and state inaugurations, effectively setting the stage for a coordinated northern campaign for Tinubu as electioneering for 2027 gathers momentum.